Doubling Down!

Loyal readers may have noticed the absence of a roundup last week; shuffled schedules led to shuffled writing, and so this week we’ll have a double dose of goodness to share. Please enjoy what the TSP crew has been rustling up in the past couple of weeks.

Editors’ Desk:

“Parking Wars, Public Soc, and Professional Thinkers,” by Doug Hartmann. In which a Cyborgology post starts a great discussion on “public sociology.”

“Finding Sociology,” by Doug Hartmann. In which a talk with photographer Wing Young Huie spurs a search for sociology outside academia.

Citings & Sightings:

“You May Not Know It Yet, But You’re Changing,” by Hollie Nyseth Brehm. In which we realize we’re different people than we were at age 12, but we’ll also be different people in another 12 years.

“Bad News for Americans Under 50,” by Hollie Nyseth Brehm. In which… uh-oh! Hide! Move! Yikes.

“School’s Not Out for Summer?” by Letta Page. In which it’s the time, not the timing, that counts when it comes to education.

“Darwin Was Wrong,” by Hollie Nyseth Brehm. In which evolutionary biology butts heads with sociology and psychology. And there’s speed-dating.

“Hold the Check or Hold the Laude,” by Suzy Maves McElrath. In which we learn paying their own way through college might spur students to keep their grades up. Just try not to think about the loan debt.

Office Hours:

“Joshua Newman and Michael Giardina on NASCAR Nation,” by Kyle Green. In which Newman and Giardina do their fieldwork from the infield.

“Gabriella Coleman on Anonymous,” by Kyle Green. In which Coleman explores hacking, Anonymous, the free flow of information, and the free flow of her own book, available online under Creative Commons licensing.

Teaching TSP:

“Recession Trends,” by Hollie Nyseth Brehm. In which Brehm explores ways to use a new online tool and a TSP podcast to talk economics and inequality.

Scholars Strategy Network:

“The Strengths and Limits of the Earned Income Tax Credit as a Tool to Fight Poverty,” by Daniel S. Feder. The fiscal cliff deal extended the EITC for five years—will it do anything to fight poverty?

“Should States Create Exchanges to Implement Obamacare?” by David K. Jones. Either the states do it, or the federal government will step in. Jones debates the best strategy.

“How Democrats and Republicans Can Draw Uncommitted Minorities into Politics,” by Zoltan Hajnal and Taeku Lee. Getting a minority-majority population to the polls.

“America’s Low Taxes in Comparative Perspective,” by Andrea Louise Campbell. Feeling overtaxed? Check the chart.

A Few from The Community Pages:

• Cyborgology. James Vincent on the “New Aesthetic,” Whitney Erin Boesel on dating sites limiting daters’ self-identification options, Jenny Davis and Sarah Wanenchak on the “real” thing, Doug Hill greets his robot under-lords, and David Banks pronounces CES dead (or at least irrelevant).
• Sociological Images. Sports writers perplexed by manly pink, international tax rates in comparison, changing perspectives on gay marriage, in praise of the controlling, and who really benefits from government programs. Finally, where’d all that sweet, sweet hooch go?
• A Backstage Sociologist. Monte shares some words of wisdom and makes some promises.
• Graphic Sociology. Laura Noren reviews The Functional Art.